Prosecutors allege Nicholas Paul Knight, 27, a former systems
administrator in the US Navy’s nuclear reactor department of the
USS Harry S. Truman, led a double life during his time as a
sailor, leading a group of hackers called Team
Digi7al that stole confidential information and would post it
online.

“Essentially I am in trouble for posting all of the stuff on
Twitter,” Knight told ABC News by email. “Although a lot
of people are saying I was the leader of some crime organizations
that was out to get people which wasn’t true. Just a group of
people that were dumb and did dumb things.”

The group targeted high-profile US government websites –
including the US Navy site and a Department of Homeland Security
site – as well as various websites of the Library of Congress,
the World Health Organization, and Harvard University, according
to the single-count court records filed on Monday.

Prosecutors also say the group, with help from other members of
Team Digi7al, hacked the Navy’s SWM database, which held
information about 220,000 Navy sailors. Others alleged targets
included the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a
military mapping agency, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory,
a government-run developer that build the atomic bombs dropped
during World War II.

Team Digi7al would boast of their attacks on Twitter, with
Knight, who called himself a “nuclear blackhat,” acting
as the group’s top “publicist,” according to the US
Department of Justice.

The court filing said three alleged members of Team Digi7al were
minors when they joined the activities. One alleged member told
investigators some in the group were “somewhat politically
inclined” to release secret information. But the group was
also out for “fun,” another alleged member said,
“which, when you get right down to it, that’s what everyone
does.”

Knight, who says he is not very political, was on duty aboard the
Truman when he allegedly “conduct[ed] unlawful Team Digi7al
activities on the Navy’s computer network.” Though the
filing does not accuse him of trying to hack into the ship’s
protected systems.

Knight did not deny he hacked into several targets, as the filing
suggests, but he said none of those sites were related to the US
military or government. He claims another member of the group –
which Knight helped to catch – did most of the hacking while he
posted the results.

The court filing said Knight, who was never arrested, agreed to
cooperate with law enforcement after his home was raided in
February 2013.

When a suspect is charged in a criminal information filing –
instead of an indictment – it often indicates the defense will
not contest the charges, prosecutor in the case Ryan Souders told
ABC News.

“I did something dumb and am willing to suffer the
consequences,” Knight said.

Knight says he was honorably discharged and “conducted
[himself] professionally while on the ship.” Military
records indicate he joined the Navy in 2009 and reported to the
Truman in 2011. He was a Machinists Mate Third Class when he left
the service in May 2013, shortly after his home was raided.

Knight says he is currently employed as a service specialist at
Siemens. The technology firm confirmed Knight is an employee
there but did not provide ABC News with further comment.

The Navy and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond
to request for comment either.

Attorneys for Knight and Daniel Krueger, another Team Digi7al
member named in the filing, did not respond to requests for
comment.

If found guilty, Knight and Krueger, 20, could face up to five
years in prison or a $250,000 fine, according to the Justice
Department.